Motivation – Live & Learn

Why a few little sparks?

April 18, 2017 by David Kanigan 22 Comments

What am I doing

but striking a few little sparks

when what the occasion demands is a comet?

~ Seamus Heaney, interviewed in The Art of Poetry No. 75

Notes:

Photo: First photograph of a comet. Image obtained by Jules Janssen on June, 30, 1881 (via The Future of the Past)
Post Inspired by Maurice Vlaminck: “I seem initially to have followed Fauvism, and then to have followed in Cézanne’s footsteps. Whatever – I do not mind… as long as first of all I remained Vlaminck.” (via CozyHuarique)
Heaney Quote via Schonwieder

Filed Under: Inspire, Life, Photography, Poetry, Quotes Tagged With: Artist, comet, Inspirational, Maurice Vlaminck, Motivation, Poem, Poetry, Quotes, Seamus Heaney, sparks, Writer, Writing

Sound of the drums / Beatin’ in my heart / I’m Thunderstruck

September 2, 2015 by David Kanigan 15 Comments

Joan of Arc was not stuck at a crossroads…
she chose a path,
and went down it like a thunderbolt.

~ G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy

Notes:

Credits: Quote Source: Thank you Mme Scherzo. Image: Mennyfox55
Post title Inspired by AC/DC’s Thunderstruck: I was caught / In the middle of a railroad track. (Thunder) / I looked round / And I knew there was no turning back (Thunder) / My mind raced / And I thought what could I do (Thunder) / And I knew / There was no help, no help from you (Thunder) / Sound of the drums / Beatin’ in my heart

Filed Under: Art, Inspire, Life, Poetry, Quotes Tagged With: AC DC, Art, choice, crossroads, Future, G.K. Chesterton, Inspirational, Joan of Arc, Motivation, Photography, Plan, Quotes, stuck, thunder

No Words.

August 8, 2015 by David Kanigan 21 Comments

She stirred it.
d smith kaich jones, in lower case whispers, in truth and mirrors:

“there are days I don’t write because (very small voice)
sometimes I don’t believe“

It begins innocuously.
It builds surreptitiously.
It ends perniciously.

A slow drip from a leaky faucet.
A Drip. Drip. Drip.
The Drops splash on cool stainless steel.
From Drops. To Rain. To Tsunami.
Now Paralyzed by its immensity,
you stare at the blinking cursor,
and find Yves Klein‘s deep deep blue of emptiness.

The Sails lie flat,
the Ship is adrift.
You wait for tailwinds.
You Wait, for Words.

Image: Cloudair (Dead calm, Atlantic Ocean, Canary Islands)

Filed Under: Inspire, Life, Photography, Poetry, Quotes Tagged With: belief, Believe, Blog, Blogging, confidence, doubt, Inspirational, Motivation, Poem, Poetry, Quotes, write, writer's block, Writing

None

October 3, 2013 by David Kanigan 18 Comments

No pen,

no ink,

no table,

no room,

no time,

no quiet,

no inclination.

~ James Joyce (1882-1941) in a letter to his brother

Credits: Image – Thank you Sundog; Quote – Lapidarium

Filed Under: Lit, Photography, Quotes Tagged With: author, Black and White, gif, James Joyce, Literature, Motivation, Photography, Poem, Poetry, Quotes, Writer, Writing

Excuses. Stack ’em up.

November 17, 2012 by David Kanigan 37 Comments

#3: My job takes my time and energy. #4: I’m too tired. #14: The weather sucks. #15: I AM NOT MOTIVATED. There we go. They are on the table. My excuses not to exercise (again). Leo Babauta @ Zen Habits wrote a recent post titled 15 Great Excuses Not to Form the Fitness Habit that has lingered with me. He lists 15 excuses that have blocked him from exercise – along with his “excuse blasters.” And of course, I’ve added my commentary… [Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: diet, Exercise, fit, Fitness, Gym, illustration, inspiration, Leo Babauta, Marc Johns, Middle Age, Motivation, Run, Running, Tired, walk, Walking, Work-out, Zen Habits

Feeling Blah about work?

June 26, 2012 by David Kanigan 14 Comments

I received some backchannel email blow-back on my last post (10 Most Loved Jobs. And 10 Most Hated) and the related posts on Doing What You Love. (Whispering to me: Here you go again. Not everyone is in the situation YOU are in. Try to walk in someone else’s shoes for a change. Tired of you preaching about Doing. What. You. Love. Some of us can’t walk away to a lesser paying job to Do.What.We.Love. We need to pay the bills. We can’t relo away from aging parents, family, friends. We can’t walk away from our house and the mortgage. We need to keep the Don’t-Love-My-Job we have.)

OK. I get it. Yet so many are unhappy. Feel stuck. Are unfulfilled. Or are frustrated in their current station. The three articles below share some excellent advice on how to make the most of the current job you are in. My Cliff-Notes recap is summarized here:

Do. (Continue) to do an excellent job.
Connect. (Develop deeper relationships with people you work with)
Learn. (Learn & apply new skills and knowledge which will fuel higher levels of engagement)
Contribute. (Achievement and contribution gives us a higher sense of purpose.)
Don’t Complain. (…And drag down your colleagues and pollute your brand.)

“There’s no justiﬁcation for an employee to wait expectantly for the organization to furnish engagement, as if it’s something somebody can give you. The key to sustainable high engagement is taking primary responsibility for it. Now is the time to own your own engagement. (FastCompany)

Here’s the 3 self-help articles on the topic…